Heroine
by Melicress
Summary: Daddy, why am I different?" Lacus struggles to understand why she is the way she is, and what her father intends for her to become in society.


**Disclaimer: Nope...I owns nothin'... (checks) yup, definitely not.**

**Kind of a plot bunny I've had. I wanted to write something where the main character isn't necessarily Athrun, so I've decided to write this story with Lacus, just for some variation. Hope you like!**

**Reviewers get cookies!! :D**

**Heroine**

A proper public image. Proper manners, a modest dress, a lovely complexion, an attractive voice, all things that make a perfect role model, a perfect celebrity. I was to be, in every way, perfect. When I was young, I didn't understand the difference between naturals and coordinators; I didn't really acknowledge that I was different. People were just, people, and I, I was just me. It wasn't really until my father took me aside one day and told me the truth that I really knew why I was the way that I was. For you see, it was odd for me, walking through the Plants, looking at all the people with brown hair, blonde hair, black hair, grey hair, and occasionally a little tint of green. I would always look in puddles or shop windows as they passed, looking at my pastel pink hair, and wondering why no one had the same shade that I did. It was silly, really. But no matter how silly it was, it lead me to ask a very important question. A question that, from that point on, changed my life forever.

I must have been 6 years old, and I was skipping through the streets, walking with my father to school. It had been raining, so there were little puddles everywhere, reflecting my highly unique hair colour and big blue eyes. I stopped again to stare at myself in one, frowning slightly. My father stopped, taking my hand and moving to pull me along, laughing with my curiosity.

"Lacus, there will be more puddles to play with later. Rain is scheduled for later in the week. Right now we have to get you to school."

I turned, looking at my father with concern. His face changed instantly from that of amusement to one of worry. "Lacus, is there something wrong?"

I grabbed a strand of my hair, tugging it in his direction. "Daddy, why am I different?"

He frowned, his moustache drooping. Slowly, he crouched down to my level, taking my hand again. "What do you mean Lacus, everyone is different. No one looks exactly the same."

Scowling slightly with frustration, I waved my hair around. "But look Daddy! You have blonde hair, and lots of other people have blonde hair. And there are people with brown hair, and black hair, and even green hair! But...there is no one with pink hair." I spun around, letting my hair whirl around me. "Why is that?"

My father's mouth twitched a little, and his eyes began to shine around the corners. Even as a 6 year old, I could see that I had upset him. I stopped spinning.

"Daddy?"

He lifted me up into his arms, hugging me close. My eyes widened in surprise, but I returned the hug, wrapping my small arms around his neck. "Daddy?"

He started to walk away, in the opposite direction of the school. I was confused, but I didn't say anything as I clung to him. I tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn't look at me. He carried me to a small wooden bench, underneath pale trees with the brightest pink blossoms you would ever see. They fell slowly to the ground in a kind of rain, their sweet fragrance filling the air. He set me down, sitting down beside me. I looked at him curiously, but waited for him to speak. He took a deep breath.

"I've always kind of feared the day that you would ask this question, Lacus. I didn't think that it would be this soon."

I frowned again, not quite sure what he was trying to say. "What do you mean Daddy?"

Sighing lightly, he folded his hands in his lap, watching the pink blossoms fall. "Lacus, have you ever heard somebody say the word 'Coordinator'?"

I shook my head, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, Lacus, there are two types of people. There are Naturals, who are people who haven't...been changed. And then there are Coordinators; people who have been changed."

I pondered this for a moment, not quite understanding. "What do you mean by changed Daddy? Is that why I'm different than everybody else?"

He nodded. "Yes, you see Lacus, you are a Coordinator. Before you were born, the doctors made changes to you to make you the way that you are. They gave you your hair, your eyes, your voice, everything."

Slowly, I fed on this information in my mind. It is hard thing for someone so young to grasp. "So, I was changed, so that makes me different. But, were you changed too Daddy?"

Again he nodded. "Yes, I was."

I swung my legs back and forth, still not quite understanding. "But, if you were changed, and I was changed, then why do I look so different? Were the other people here changed too?"

My father paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Well, people can be changed in different ways. And...your mother, before she went away, said that she wanted to have a child that was beautiful and kind, and as free as a cherry blossom. So, the doctors made you kind, free, and as beautiful as a cherry blossom, and that is why your hair is pink."

I had only seen one picture of my mother. It was kept on the very top of the mantelpiece above our fireplace. My father, much younger than he was now, was holding a beautiful looking woman in his arms. She was laughing, her hands stretched up, but her legs seemed crumpled in some way, and part her face seemed to be slightly blackened by soot or dirt. I knew that I should never ask about her; my fathers eyes grew sad at every mention of her.

He rested his hand on the top of my head, ruffling my hair a bit. "So, that is why you are the way you are, alright sweetie? You don't need to worry about being different. The doctors made you beautiful, and so, you are."

I nodded, letting a smile grace my face. "Okay Daddy!" I giggled and jumped off the bench. "But Daddy, now I'm late for school!"

He laughed. "Ah, yes, so you are. But, I think that you have learned a very important lesson today Lacus. Isn't that enough learning for today?" He scooped me up again, holding me up to his face and smiling.

"Yes yes!" I squealed and tucked myself into his jacket, letting him carry me back in the direction of home.

It was one of the most important lessons of my life.


End file.
